GUWAHATI, Feb 21 - Alleging that New Delhi is accelerating the pace of Manas-Sonkosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) link project that would take away the water from Assam�s Manas river for development projects in other parts of the country, the newly constituted political party Asom Sangrami Mancha on Saturday stated that completion of the project would have devastating impact on the State.
The project involves Goalpara, Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Barpeta districts of the State.
Addressing the media here, Manjit Mahanta, chief general secretary of the party, said the State would gain nothing from the MSTG project, whereas the benefit would be reaped by the big players of the corporate world of the country.
�The project was conceptualized long back during the Congress rule, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Government has accelerated the project with conspicuous swiftness,� he said.
Bringing in the concern of longer dry spells of the rivers flowing through the State, the party said that the government plan includes construction of a reservoir with 8,750 million cubic metre capacity and a big dam which would bring untold miseries for the people of Barpeta and Bongaigaon.
The party through an RTI to the National Water Development Agency got to know that the feasibility report for the project is under preparation.
�The entire project is a destructive design to rob Assam of its natural resources. Other than losing its water, the State would have to bear adverse impact on several of its national parks and reserve forests. Not just that, the farmers of lower Assam would bear the brunt of water diversion and thousands would be displaced, not to speak of the impact on the biodiversity,� he added.
The leaders of the party, including Dr Dinesh Baishya and Dr Dilip Bora, said that even Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is supporting the project through his silence on the issue. �The Congress and BJP are the two sides of the same coin and Assam has nothing to gain from both these parties. Even the recent BJP-BPF political understanding is a farsighted move to make the project a smooth reality,� added the Mancha leaders.
Asserting that the issue should be dealt with required seriousness and not as a political gimmick, the party asked all the voluntary organizations, pressure groups, students� and youth bodies and eminent citizens to raise the issue before it is too late. �The people of Assam have reposed their trust on Sarbananda Sonowal, who is currently in a position to raise the topic. He must also make his stand clear on the issue,� added Mahanta.